- Chava Alberstein
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Chava Alberstein 
Background information Born Szczecin, Poland
December 8, 1947Origin Kiryat Haim, Israel Genres Folk
Folk rock
YiddishYears active 1964–present Labels CBS
NMC
Rounder Records
Auvidis
EMI
Shanachie
Media DirectsWebsite http://aviv2.com/chava/ Chava Alberstein (Hebrew: חוה אלברשטיין, born December 8, 1947, in Szczecin, Poland) is an Israeli singer, lyricist, composer, and musical arranger.
Contents
Biography
Chava Alberstein, born in Szczecin, Poland, moved to Israel with her family in 1950.[1] She grew up in Kiryat Haim.
In 1964, when she was 17, she was invited to appear at the Hammam Nightclub in Jaffa. She sang four songs accompanied by herself on guitar and her brother Alex on the clarinet.[2] The program was broadcast live on the radio. After a guest appearance on Moadon Hazemer, recorded on Kibbutz Beit Alfa, she signed a recording contract with CBS.[2] Early in her career, she appeared at the Amami Cinema in Haifa's Neve Sha'anan neighborhood. Haaretz columnist Neri Livneh describes her as "a little slip of a thing in a blue youth movement shirt, her face covered by huge glasses."[3]
Alberstein was drafted into the Israel Defense Force in 1965, and became one of many Israeli artists to rise to stardom by entertaining the troops.[citation needed]
Musical career
Alberstein has released more than 60 albums. She has recorded in Hebrew, English and Yiddish. In 1980, Alberstein began to write and compose. Most of the songs on her album Mehagrim (Immigrants) are her own work.[2] Alberstein's husband is the filmmaker Nadav Levitan, who wrote the lyrics for her "End of the Holiday" album. In 1986 she wrote music for Levitan's film Yaldei Stalin (Children of Stalin).[4] Her songs have been included in a number of multi-artist collections, among them "Songs of The Vilna Ghetto" and "The Hidden Gate – Jewish Music Around the World."
Critical acclaim
According to Israel's largest daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Alberstein is the most important female folk singer in Israel history:[5]
If [Israel has] a true folk singer, it is Chava Alberstein.Political views and controversy
Alberstein is a champion of liberal causes. Throughout her career she has been an activist for human rights and Arab-Israeli unity.[1] In 1989, Alberstein's song Had Gadya (a spin-off on a traditional song named Chad Gadya which sung at the Passover seder during Passovers[6]) in which she criticizes Israel's policy towards Palestinians, was banned by Israel State Radio.[4][7][8] The song was later used in the movie Free Zone by director Amos Gitai in Natalie Portman's 7-minute crying scene.[9]
Alberstein is also a champion of the Yiddish language both in her recordings and in a video titled "Too Early To Be Quiet, Too Late To Sing"[10] which showcases the works of Yiddish poets.
Awards
Alberstein won the Kinor David (David's Harp) Prize.
In 2005, she was voted the 93rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.[11]
Quotes
- "Even though I have lived in Israel nearly my entire life, I am constantly questioning my place in the world. Maybe this searching comes from being an artist, maybe it comes from being a Jew. I’m not really sure."[12]
Discography
Number Album Name (English) Release Date Language References 1 Hine Lanu Nigun Here We Have a Tune 1967 Hebrew 2 Perach haLilach Lilac Flower 1967 Hebrew 3 Tza'atzueiah shel Osnat Osnat's Toys 1967 Hebrew 4 Mirdaf The Chase 1970 Hebrew gold[10] 5 Mot haParpar Death of the Butterfly 1968 Hebrew 6 Chava Alberstein beShirei Rachel Songs of Rachel 1969 Hebrew 7 Margaritkalach Daisies 1969 Yiddish 8 Mishirei eretz ahavati Songs of My Beloved Country 1970 Hebrew 9 Chava beTochnit Yachid 1 One Woman Show 1 1971 10 Chava beTochnit Yachid 2 One Woman Show 2 1971 11 Isha ba'Avatiach A Woman in a Watermelon 1971 Hebrew 12 Chava vehaPlatina Chava and the Platina Jazz band 1974 13 Chava veOded be'Eretz haKsamim Magic Land 1972 14 Lu Yehi Let it be 1973 Hebrew 15 K'mo Tzemach bar Like a wild flower 1975 Hebrew 16 Lehitei haZahav Golden hits 1975 Hebrew gold[10] 17 Tzolelet Tzabarit Sabra Submarine 1975[10] or 1976[13] 18 Elik Belik Bom 1976 19 Halaila hu shirim The Night Is Songs 1977 Hebrew 20 Karusella 1 Carousel 1 1977 21 Karusella 2 Carousel 2 1977 22 Karusella 3 Carousel 3 1977 23 Shirei Am beYiddish Yiddish folk songs 1977 Yiddish 24 Hitbaharut Clearing 1978 25 Chava vehaGitara Chava and the guitar 1978 26 Chava Zingt Yiddish Chava Sings Yiddish 1979 Yiddish 27 Ma Kara ba'Eretz Mi What Happened in the Land of Who 1979 28 Ani Holechet Elai I Go to Me 1980 29 Shir beMatana A Gift of Songs 1980 30 Kolot Voices 1982 31 Shiru Shir im Chava Sing a song with Chava 1982 32 Nemal Bayit At Home 1983 gold 33 Avak shel kochavim Stardust 1984 34 Mehagrim Immigrants 1986 35 Od Shirim beYiddish More Songs in Yiddish 1987 Yiddish 36 HaTzorech baMilah, haTzorech baShtika Word And Silence 1988 37 London 1989 38 MiShirei Eretz Ahavati Songs of my Beloved Country 1990 Hebrew 39 Ahava Mealteret Improvised Love 1991 Hebrew gold 40 HaChita Zomachat Shuv The Wheat Grows Again 1992 Hebrew 41 The Man I Love 1992 42 Margaritkalach Daisies 1994 Yiddish 43 Derech Achat One Way 1995 44 London beHofaah London – Live 1995 45 Yonat ha'Ahava The Dove of Love 1996 Hebrew 46 Adaber Itcha I Will Talk to You 1997 Hebrew 47 The Collection (box set) 1998 Hebrew gold 48 Crazy Flower 1998 Hebrew 49 The Well – With The Klezmatics 1998 Yiddish 50 Chava Alberstein – Yiddish Songs 1999 Yiddish 51 Tekhef Ashuv Be Right Back 1999 Hebrew 52 Children's songs – The Collection 2000 Hebrew 53 Foreign Letters 2001 December 54 The Early Years – The Box Set 2003 55 End of the Holiday 2004 Hebrew 56 Coconut 2005 Hebrew 57 Like a Wild Flower (New Version) 58 Lemele 2006 59 The Milky Way – Songs for Children 2007 60 Human Nature 2008 61 live – from alberstien's live concert 2008 62 Chava Alberstein – the original albums – four collection CD set 2008 References
- ^ a b World music: The basics
- ^ a b c Chava Alberstein bio
- ^ Haaretz
- ^ a b Dorůžka, Petr (October 2008). "Chava Aberstein má ráda izraelskou poušť". Harmonie (10): 18–21. (Czech)
- ^ "Chava Alberstein | Aviv Productions, Ltd". Aviv2.com. December 11, 2001. http://aviv2.com/chava/. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Adam Zarek – Chad Gadya". Chatrh.org. http://www.chatrh.org/haggadah/zarek.htm. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Israel: Chava Alberstein banned". Freemuse. http://www.freemuse.org/sw11404.asp. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Chava Alberstein: Multilingual Folkie". My Jewish Learning. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/culture/2/Music/Israeli_Music/Popular_Music/Chava_Alberstein.shtml. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ 2006 SFJFF (San Francisco Jewish Film Festival) — Interview With Amos Gitaï Michael Guillén, twitchfilm.net July 27, 2006
- ^ a b c d "Chava Alberstein | Aviv Productions, Ltd". Aviv2.com. December 11, 2001. http://www.aviv2.com/chava/. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ גיא בניוביץ' (June 20, 1995). "הישראלי מספר 1: יצחק רבין – תרבות ובידור". Ynet. http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3083171,00.html. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Alberstein, Chava (1947–) – PERSONAL HISTORY, INFLUENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS, The First Years (1967–69), BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS, PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:, The 1970s – Album, Songs, Music, Yiddish, Israeli, and Musical". Encyclopedia.jrank.org. December 8, 1947. http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/5480/Alberstein-Chava-1947.html#ixzz0NShai89a. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Dartmouth Jewish Sound Archive". Dartmouth.edu. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~djsa/view_song.php?songId=828. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
External links
- Chava Alberstein at the Internet Movie Database
- Chava at Aviv Productions
- Chava Albertstein, Israeli Singer and Peace Activist (NPR Interview)
- Chava Alberstein at MOOMA (Hebrew)
- Alberstein, Chava (1947–) – Personal history, Influences and contributions, The first years (1967–69, Biographical highlights, Personal chronology, The 1970s
- Nathan Shahar, Chava Alberstein, Jewish Women Encyclopedia
Folk music Subgenres Ballads · Carols · Children's songs · Drinking song · Hornpipe · Jigs · Morris dance · Protest song · Sea shanties · War songs
Fusions Anti-folk · Celtic music · Celtic rock · Country folk · Electric folk · Filk music · Folk metal · Folk punk · Folk rock · Folktronica · Indie folk · Industrial folk song · Manila Sound · Medieval folk rock · Neofolk · Nu-folk · Psych folk · Progressive folk · Skiffle · Techno-folk · Un-folkRelated articles Festivals · Folk clubs · Folk dance · Instruments · Lists of traditions · Pub session · Record labels · Roots revival · Singer-songwriter · Traditional music · World music
Regional scenes Categories:- 1947 births
- Living people
- Polish Jews
- Israeli Jews
- Israeli people of Polish origin
- Jewish singers
- Israeli female singers
- Yiddish singers
- Jewish musicians
- Hebrew-language singers
- Israeli film score composers
- People from Szczecin
- Israeli women writers
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